Despite Israel’s decision to impose a ban on the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees ( UNRWA ) from operating in Israel and annex east Jerusalem, Singapore will continue to work with its Middle Eastern partners to provide aid to Gaza.
In response to a parliamentary question from MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim ( PAP-Chua Chu Kang ), Singapore’s minister for foreign affairs Vivian Balakrishnan responded on Tuesday ( Nov 12 ).
In response to Mr. Zhulkarnain’s question, he inquired about how Singapore may continue to support UNRWA’s work and how it would continue to assist Gaza in light of Israel’s action. He also inquired about whether the state may consider bringing more support into Gaza.
Dr. Balakrishnan expressed his concern over the restrictions in a written response to the question.
Singapore expressed his deep concern about the latest passage of legislation that has been passed in the Israeli Knesset to outlaw UNRWA’s activities on Jewish soil and to outlaw contact between state authorities and UNRWA.
” This may make it more difficult for Palestinians to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank.”
We urge all events to respect and support the humanitarian responsibilities of the UN agencies in the Palestinian Territories, grant them unrestricted access to their work, and ensure the safety of their employees.
Dr Balakrishnan, but, noted that apart from UNRWA, Singapore had worked with a number of different colleagues in the region to offer assistance to Gaza’s citizens.
These include places like Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, and philanthropic organizations such as UNICEF, the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization.
He declared,” We will continue to work with colleagues in the region to provide support to the affected citizens in Gaza.”